Firefighters used sprinklers and water bombers to guard the evacuated homes of a tiny northern Manitoba community as a raging forest fire moved around and through it Thursday night.
Despite flying embers that started small blazes wherever the water's protection didn't reach, only two sheds were lost to the flames, said Tom Mirus, head of Manitoba's fire program.
"It was quite a nose-to-nose fight for a while there, but they got everything.''
He said Sherridon was considered safe Thursday night, though he added the community is not quite out of danger.
The wind was expected to shift, pushing the fire back south, and hot spots might still ignite.
"We're going to be up through the night making sure there's no embers that are smouldering away anywhere,'' he said.
Three water bombers attacked the 60 square-kilometre blaze outside Sherridon as more than 50 firefighters sprayed buildings with water to protect them from burning embers.
See the Northern Manitoba fire gallery
"Any spot fires that came up were put out quickly, and everything, as far as I know, has been successful,'' said Mirus.
The community's 150 residents were evacuated a day earlier as the flames threatened to close off the only road out of town.
The fire, some 150 kilometres north of The Pas near the Saskatchewan boundary, was the most serious of several that were burning across the tinder-dry forests of northern Manitoba. The province called in fire crews from Ontario to help out.
Norway House fire contained
Further east in Norway House, a smaller fire that had forced 1,000 residents in outlying areas of the sprawling reserve to move into the centre of the community was contained Thursday. Band officials were optimistic conditions would soon allow residents to return home.
"The fire is contained but not under control,'' said Norway House Chief Marcel Balfour.
Near the Ontario boundary, heavy smoke from other fires prompted partial evacuations of people with health problems in St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack. Both fires were out of control, but crews were managing to hold the lines nearest both communities.
Firefighters were expecting a bit of help from the weather forecast, which called for up to five millimetres of rain and higher humidity levels.
"That's not enough rain, but we'll take what we can get,'' Mirus said.
Human caused fires
The dry weather has made for a busy start to Manitoba's forest fire season. Just weeks after the snow melted off the ground in northern areas, the province has recorded 152 fires, all of them caused by human activity.
One large blaze appeared to have been started by forestry equipment, Mirus said, while the Sherridon fire is believed to have been sparked by a train.
"Just from the train somehow, either a hotbox on the train or a brake shoe falling off or sparks from the stack,'' he said.
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